LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers blew a 23-point lead on Thursday night against the Orlando Magic. They eked out a win after all, essentially thanks to Isaiah Thomas not stepping on the baseline when the ball doinked off his face with less than a second to go.
It was far from an elegant or convincing win, but for the struggling Cavaliers, any win is a good one. The 104-103 victory broke a four-game losing streak, and stabilized things for a team that finally got back Derrick Rose and is trying to regain its form.
LeBron James, however, was critical of himself and honest about the current state of the Cavs after Thursday’s game. His postgame analysis included a poop emoji and calling himself “garbage,” which he shared on Twitter on Thursday night.
Man was I garbage tonight! 🤢💩🤮😷!!!! Thank God for teammates. Appreciate it fellas ✊🏾🙏🏾#StriveForGreatness🚀
— LeBron James (@KingJames) January 19, 2018
Speaking to reporters after the game, James said the team is indeed struggling right now, but that things can be turned around if they work through it.
“We want to play better and we know we have the ability to do it but right now we’re in Strugglesville,” James said according to Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com. “But it felt like a win. We needed it. Definitely.”
“Strugglesville” might be even catchier than “The Land” but it’s definitely not where the Cavs want to be. Every season has its tough parts, but this is the second stretch where Cleveland has struggled to even finish games they have big leads in. The Cavs, and LeBron, know they need to be better if they want to reach their postseason goals this year.
